Osinbajo, Lalong Warn Against Ethnic Profiling, Religious Bigotry

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for a deliberate policy backed by elite consensus to bar Nigerians from using the nation’s diversity to negatively promote their personal ambitions.

He warned against ethnic profiling, religious bigotry and the promotion of divisive rhetoric particularly by Nigerian elites in the quest for power.

Osinbajo who spoke while delivering a lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru.

The topic of the lecture: “Creating a Homeland for All: Nation Building in a Diverse Democracy,” is part of the Policy Making and Good Governance Lecture Series initiated by the NIPSS Management which seeks to provide a platform for Executive Course 45 Participants to interface with intellectuals from various backgrounds.

He said Nigeria must prioritise its unity, cohesion and progress by doing away with prejudices that have impeded the nation’s growth.

Osinbajo said the task of changing the situation lies with both the citizens and the Government which is expected to drive reforms and enforce the rule of law at all times.

On his part, Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong said the lecture series is a well-conceived idea that addresses the long standing challenge of policy-making and delivery of people-centered governance in Nigeria.

He said, “Policies are ordinarily supposed to be formulated on the basis of national or State aspirations and driven by the concept of the general good.

“Unfortunately, we have witnessed time and again where good policies have been either jettisoned or poorly executed in Nigeria on the basis of politics and other considerations that do not reflect the general interest. This situation which has deteriorated over the years particularly within our democratic experience continues to impact negatively on the slow level of development in virtually all sectors”.

According to him, it is sad to note that rather than focus on sustaining good policies that drive national agenda and strengthen the Nigerian State, many office holders sacrifice this virtue on the altar of politics which is sometimes motivated by parochial considerations driven by ethno-religious considerations among others”.

Lalong said President Muhammadu Buhari has in the last 8 years done his best in reviving some of the national policies across all sectors that are at the core of Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

“It is expected that our President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to build upon these policies in a manner that emphasizes Systems rather than Personalities. Looking at the impact of the policies on Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Critical Infrastructure, National Security, Power and Energy, Entrepreneurship and Business among others which the Buhari administration has been scored high, there are very high expectations from the Renewed Hope Agenda of the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

The governor said one of the key areas his government has focused on is continuity in project implementation which led to the completion of abandoned and inherited projects spanning from the immediate past administration and others before it.

Rather than jettison such projects because of party differences and other parochial considerations, he insisted on completing them for the interest of the people and in order not to waste public resources.

Lalong however said even though politicians have used this against his administration, he has no regret as he is sure that posterity will judge.

The DG of NIPSS, Prof Ayo Omotayo, in his opening remarks, said the lecture series is another initiative of the Institute aimed at generating discourse on critical issues such as policy-making and good governance which are key to attaining Nigeria’s national aspirations.

The Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, also commended NIPSS for sustaining the culture of research and policy incubation which has been very useful for the nation’s growth.